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Pharaohs? Great, Iíve always wanted to go to Egypt! Eh,... what other Pharaohs??

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Pharaohs? Great, Iíve always wanted to go to Egypt! Eh,... what other Pharaohs??

I’ve been reading a few threads on here for some time and it has inspired me to start my own. Makoto Nakamura’s adventures in San Marino have been particularly enjoyable so I’ve decided to try my hand in the Faroe Islands with second tier team FC Hoyvik.

My long (long, long, longgggg) term goal is to dominate the world with a team made solely of players from my youth system. Thus, I won’t be buying any players throughout the save.

I hope you enjoy

FC Hoyvik
Long-term Goals

Domestic Achievements

Gain promotion from 1. Deild to Vodafonedeildin Achieved 2012/13

Avoid relegation from Vodafonedeildin Achieved 2013/14

Finish top 3 in Vodafonedeildin Achieved 2015/16

Win Vodafonedeildin Achieved 2015/16

Win LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup) Achieved 2015/16

European Achievements

Qualify for the Europa League Achieved 2015/16

Qualify for the Champions League Achieved 2015/16

Reach the Europa League group stage Achieved 2022/23

Reach the Champions League group stage Achieved 2025/26

Win a point in the Europa League group stage Achieved 2022/23

Win a point in the Champions League group stage

Win a match in the Europa League group stage Achieved 2022/23

Win a match in the Champions League group stage

Reach the Europa League knockout stage

Reach the Champions League knockout stage

Win the Europa League

Win the Champions League

European Achievements

Take charge of the Faroe Island national teams

Beat a team ranked inside the top 100 nations (friendlies allowed)

Beat a team ranked inside the top 50 nations (friendlies allowed)

Beat a team ranked inside the top 10 nations (friendlies allowed)

Beat the team ranked number 1 in the world (friendlies allowed)

Finish top 3 in a qualifying campaign group

Qualify for a major tournament

Win a point in a major tournament group stage

Win a game in a major tournament

Qualify for the knockout stages of a major tournament

Player Achievements

Have a player capped at U19 level for the national team Achieved 2014/15

Have a player capped at U21 level for the national team Achieved 2013/14

Have a player capped at senior level for the national team Achieved 2016/17

Have five players called up to the national team squad Achieved 2019/20

Club Achievements

Get out of the red financially Achieved 2016/17

Get stadium expansion

Build a new stadium

Have training facilities improved Achieved 2016/17

Have youth facilities improved

Get an increased budget for youth coaching Achieved 2014/15

Get a feeder club

Improve youth recruitment network

Achieve part-time status Achieved 2012/13

Achieve full-time status

Reach 50 season ticket holders

Reach 100 season ticket holders

Reach 1000 season ticket holders

Reach 10000 season ticket holders

Reach 50000 season ticket holders

Estimated value greater than £1m Achieved 2022/23

Estimated value greater than £10m

Estimated value greater than £100m

Estimated value greater than £500m

Estimated value greater than £1bn

Matchday squad made up entirely of YP players Achieved 2014/15

Entire squad made up of YP players Achieved 2018/19

Club reputation 1 star Achieved 2021/22

Club reputation 1.5 stars

Club reputation 2 stars

Club reputation 2.5 stars

Club reputation 3 stars

Club reputation 3.5 stars

Club reputation 4 stars

Club reputation 4.5 stars

Club reputation 5 stars

Top 250 European club ranking Achieved 2024/25

Top 100 European club ranking

Top 50 European club ranking

Top 10 European club ranking

Top 3 European club ranking

Top European club

Last edited by Scribe; 22-12-2011 at 19:43.
Reason: Achievements added

FC HoyvŪk is a Faroese football club, they currently play in the 1. deild. They were previously named IF Fram Tůrshavn (Tůrshavn Forward). The club is located in the HoyvŪk district, a suburb of the capital Tůrshavn, Faroe Islands.
The club was founded on January 12, 1975 as IF Fram Tůrshavn, and became the third football club in Tůrshavn. HB Tůrshavn (1904) and B36 Tůrshavn (1936) are the first two. The fourth club in Torshavn came in 1997, Argja Bůltfelag from Argir. As the suburb Argir was incorporated in 1997 in the Municipality of Tůrshavn. They were originally founded 1973.
In 1977 Fram Tůrshavn played their first season in 1.Deild (now named Vodafonedeildin), but only finished seventh in the league and were relegated that season. Fram have never managed to archive promotion back into the top flight league since. They are the only Faroese football club in history to have played in first league, down to the fourth league. In late 2008, the club changed its name to FC HoyvŪk. In 2009, FC HoyvŪk played their first season under the new name in the 1.Deild of the FSF (second division), after Fram Torshavn won the 2.Deild in the previous season and were promoted.

To get me going I’ve set up a 41 year old manager native to the islands:

Poor Balder has no wage due to the club’s part-time status. In terms of staff, he has a player/assistant manager but no coaches or scouts. The latter is good news since I won’t need them any way.

The facilities are nothing to write home about, although our nice artificial surface should mean minimal postponements.

I certainly don’t expect much investment in these facilities given that the club is £450k in debt. This could be even tougher than I’d imagined.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the squad lacks quality, with just three guys that can actually pass as real life footballers and they make the rest look as bad as they really are:

With two of those best three being wanted by other clubs (and my team’s amateur status), I can’t see them hanging around for too long. The best of the bunch is Johan Gunnarsson. I guess that says it all about the quality of the squad. In the interests of displaying an “average” squad member, they don’t get anymore average than the 2-star recommended Karl Lisberg. He truly embodies the rubbishness of the squad. The players at my disposal lack any real width, so my formation will probably be a narrow one to begin with.

In terms of the competition, we actually only have three other real teams in our league of ten (known as 1. Deild). The remaining six are B teams from sides in the league above (the Vodafonedeildin). With the top 2 gaining promotion, it’s not entirely unfeasible that we could challenge for, er, 4th place! The bottom two sides are relegated, so as long as we avoid that and I don’t get sacked then I’ll be happy enough.

The board want a respectable league position and for us to reach the second round of the unpronounceable cup competition. I truly have no idea whether we will achieve that or not.

I’ll start with transfers because they set the trend for the rest of this update. As you can see, none came in (as expected), but a couple of our best players (the two Gunnarssons) left on free transfers to bigger clubs. I can tell that this is going to be a frustrating trend throughout until we can achieve at least part-time status. Meanwhile, the other guys that left were never going to get a game so were released to give me a leaner squad.

Pretty encouraging actually. The two defeats were against opposition from the top flight, so we can be pleased with our preparation for the season.

Board Expectations

1. Deild: Achieve a respectable league position. LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second round.

My Expectations

Based on our pre-season, I hope we will push for a top half finish, but it does worry me that other clubs can come in a take our best players for free. If the trend continues then we could struggle. As for the cup, we play a team from the league below us in the first round, so I hope we can achieve at least what the board expects.

Terrible, but with no wages for players or staff, hopefully we can make a small profit over the course of the season. I’ve no idea though really; we only sold 25 season tickets so we are not going to be raking it in.

Squad

We have no left backs, only one right back and no wingers. I’m going for a 4-2-3-1 formation with guys out of position, but in training to fit the roles. I can’t bring anyone else in so it’ll have to do. I don’t like squeezing square pegs into round holes, but I think it’s pretty unavoidable at this stage.

Key Players

I honestly can’t pick anyone out that is likely to shine. That’s not to say that they won’t, but pickings are slim. On the flip side, it means everyone in the squad has a chance to show what they can do. I’ll be rotating heavily to begin with until I get to know the players.

Well, pre-season truly was a false dawn. What followed was six games without a win of which three were defeats. Included in that run was an embarrassing capitulation to lower league Skala in the first round of the cup which put paid to our expectations in that particular competition.

Thankfully weíve improved slightly in the last few games, but this first half of a season has really hit home how difficult this job is going to be.

On the transfer front, another player left us on a free in the shape of striker Tomas Hans Rubeksen. Thankfully heíd been rubbish (a big fat zero goals in seven games!) so itís no great loss, but on paper he was our best frontman. One interesting thing to note that the departure of three key players since I took over has promoted the previously average Karl Lisberg from a 2-star rated player to an indispensible 5-stars! Things really are grim when a guy like that is your best player.

Financially, the board have twice put £65k into the coffers to keep the club going so weíre now just under £350k in debt. Without that investment weíd be running at a small loss. Not a great sign for the future and our hopes of turning professional.

Well, this is a first; youth intake day, 16 news players andÖ they all have 5-star potential!

Somewhat unsurprisingly, even the best of them seems rather poor. I really doubt that any will reach a decent level and the 5-star potential says more about my current squadís lack of ability than the genius of my new youth players! That said, even if they do they show glimmers of greatness, they will surely will be snatched away by another team due to my amateur status. My main disappointment however, is the lack of fullbacks that I desperately need.

Since I donít have a reserve or youth team, they automatically seem to have been put on amateur deals and go straight into my first team squad. Hopefully that detail wonít have a negative impact on future youth intakes when I eventually turn part-time.

After what can only be described as a disastrous start, the rest of the season has been fairly tame. We hovered around midtable the whole time and just managed to sneak into the top half with a last minute winner in the final game of the season. In terms of first season, itís a solid, if unspectacular start to my career in the Faroes.

Board Expectations

1. Deild: Achieve a respectable league position. AchievedLÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second round. Failed

My Expectations

1. Deild: Achieve a respectable league position. AchievedLÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second round. Failed

Key Players

Top Scorer: Karl Lisberg Ė Mr Average knocked in five goals in eight starts. It actually sounds quite decent when you look at it like that!Most Assists: Janus Mortensen Ė Five assists in twelve games is solid if unspectacular. He wasnít very impressive otherwise.Managerís Player of the Year:Bogi Hermansen Ė Wins the player of the year by default. No one was any better so he gets it despite averaging under 7.00 match rating.Fanís Player of the Year: Bogi Hermansen

Next Season

I feel as though Iíve settled in to the league a bit now, so I can begin to set some real goals for next season. I think my focus has to be on our young players and developing them as much as possible. We are in a difficult position really; we need the young guys to do well if we are to succeed, but if they do then other teams will snap them up. Then again, we need much more income if we are to become professional so promotion is a must at some point. I think we are still some distance away from that though.

We only lost one player to another team this pre-season, mainly because I managed to fend off some interest by offering new amateur contracts to players that were courted by other teams. That only worked for players approached by teams of a similar size to us, but thankfully not many bigger clubs are interested in any of our players. Meanwhile, I released a few guys that would never have been near the starting line-up.

Not too bad I guess. I left the organising of friendly matches to my assistant and he kindly pitted us against some of the best teams in the country. We were generally outplayed, but I wouldnít expect anything else against sides from a league above us. Moreover, last season taught me not to read anything into our pre-season friendly results.

Board Expectations

1. Deild: Stay clear of relegation LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Learn from the experience

The board have dropped their expectations a level for whatever reason, possibly because we have lost a few of our more highly rated players over the course of last season.

Basically I want to match last seasonís performance levels. If we can get off to a good start then I think we can achieve even more. The bookies rate us at 80-1 outsiders so hopefully we can prove a few people wrong.

As for the cup, weíve been drawn away to 07 Vesturlle, who have just been relegated into our league. That will give me an idea of the gap in quality between the top two leagues.

The squad is a bit on the big size. Iím reluctant to release anymore players in case any first team players are poached from us. We desperately need a leftback, but otherwise Iím reasonably satisfied with the depth of cover we have.

Key Players

Itís not easy to pick players out as they all have areas of weakness and very few areas of strength. The one player I wouldnít like to lose is our goalkeeper Trygvi Askham. That is mainly because the backup players are so poor and I donít want to have to resort to playing them if he disappears. Other than him, there is honestly not one player that is guaranteed a starting role in the team.

Last season we got 16 5-star potential players, and this year we got exactly the same (including that elusive leftback!):

If anything, the quality seems a little better than last season. Indeed, some of last yearís intake are now rated as having potential less than 5-stars, so that could mean this batch is better (or that my terrible facilities and coaches are destroying any potential they did have!).

The main ones to watch from this year would be:

Johannes Olsen (YP17): Letís be honest here, he doesnít look great, but the main thing is that he is a natural DL, so no more playing out of position centrebacks there.Bergur Gregersen (YP22): Should provide the pace and flair that we are currently missing.Sonni Eliasen (YP29): Already our best finisher with a massive 8 rating for that particular skill.

The addition of these 16 new youngsters has swollen my squad once again, so Iím afraid it signals the end of the road for a number of my older players. Iíve released 7 players, but they had only started 9 matches between them this season so the impact on the team should be minimal. We now only have 7 players remaining from the original squad; quite a turnaround in the space of less than two years.

While Iím making this post, Iíll give you a little update on our situation in the league. There are four games remaining and the league looks like this. There is no mistaking that we are in an excellent position, but we have lost our last three matches so we are holding on to a promotion place by our fingertips. Iím faced with a conundrum of whether I should blood some of these new youngsters immediately or keep the faith with last yearís faltering stock. Any thoughts?

I've come up with the following achievements to help track my progress. These will be added to the first post and updated along the way. I might add to these along the way, so suggestions for extra ones are welcome.

An amazing season. No one expected us to do much this season; me included, but the youngsters did us proud. We could even have won the league but for a blip in the last game. We had a few hairy moments when it looked like we might collapse; we never lost one game on its own, it was always two losses in a row. Thankfully we managed to hold our nerve and our second place finish sees us promoted to the top flight.

The way we went out of the cup was a bit disappointing though; to lose to a team in your own league in the semi-finals after beating the eventual Vodafonedeildin champions in the quarters was a bit of a bitter pill.

Iíd picked out Trygvi Askham as a possible key man this season but, whilst he played his part in a very successful season, he was surpassed by many of his colleagues.

Top Scorer: Olavur Johannesen (YP6) Ė Olavur was one of the young players Iíd picked out at the start of the season as being able to make a positive impact and boy has he done so. Ten goals and seven assists in 21 matches was great going by the attacking midfielder.Most Assists: Jon Brekku Ė One of the old guard proved his worth with nine assists, but unfortunately has decided to hang up his boots at the end of the season.Managerís Player of the Year:Allan Joensen (YP10) Ė I was going to give this award to Olavur Johannesen, but Joensen has been an unsung hero this year. This 6í7Ē monster has tightened up our defence no end and was always a danger in the opposition area, as shown by his haul of seven goals. Fanís Player of the Year: Olavur Johannesen (YP6) Ė And well deserved too.

Next Season

This season has really buoyed my spirits. We proved ourselves capable of winning games and that is a good habit to get into. Our results against last yearís relegated teams makes me hopeful that we can do well in the Vodafonedeildin. As I continued into the new season I received this piece of news that is sure to help. Now that we can keep a hold of our players I can properly plan for the future and even receive some compensation if anyone wants to sign-up our talent.

Pretty much our usual mixture of results. It doesnít tell me much about how we might perform this season.

Board Expectations

Vodafonedeildin: Stay clear of relegation LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second round

As expected, the board just want us to stay up. Their cup expectation is not exactly ambitious because we get a bye into the second round anyway this season (I imagine that is because of last seasonís semi-final appearance).

The cost of semi-professional status is already apparent as we spend money on wages for the first time. I hope that we can garner some additional income through attendance money. That however, remains to be seen even with our soaring season ticket sales!

To be honest itís difficult to pick out individuals from our ranks of youngsters. They all have the potential to succeed, but they need to start improving a bit more quickly now weíre in with the big boys.

I guess it has been a half season of two halves! We started terribly and looked out of our depth, but a good win in the cup suddenly changed our fortunes.

Itís amazing how a couple of wins can change your outlook. If this update had come a few games ago it would have been all doom and gloom, but now Iím feeling a lot more optimistic. Make no mistake, we still have a tough challenge ahead in order to remain in the league, but at least now I know that we can compete at this level.

Unfortunately weíre going to have to cope without our topscorer for the rest of the season. Weíve been hit with a terrible injury to Frits Eliasen (YP2) who had just started to settle in this league. Itíll be a long way back for the lad and, at this level, Iím not even sure heíll ever be able to make his way back to our team. These sorts of injuries can truly ruin a playerís career.

In terms of hopes for the rest of the season; to continue our good form would be great but realistically an equal number of points won should suffice for survival. Scoring goals could be a worry now with Eliasenís absence, but weíve coped with the loss of a striker before so hopefully we can do it again.

Ok, so it seems three straight seasons of 5-star potential players was a little too much to ask. In fact, whilst this intake initially looked good, Iím sorry to say that none of them stand-out as immediate first-team material.

This intake boosted my squad to a mammoth 48 players, which is especially ridiculous for a team with no reserve squad than only plays 18 league games per season. With this in mind I freed a further five players that were still on amateur deals (so no compensation was necessary). Weíre now down to just two players from my original squad; our goalkeeper Trygvi Askham and midfielder Bogi Hermansen. Other than that I will have some big decisions to make at the end of the season when virtually the entire squad are out of contract.

Iím pretty satisfied with our performances this season. After a shaky start we recovered well to finish 11 points clear of relegation. I would have bitten your hand off if youíd offered me that at the start of the season. Not only that, but I feel weíve improved as the season has progressed and that can only be good news for next year.

We reached the semi-final of the cup for a second successive season only to lose 3-0 after extra time to an AB team that are fast becoming our biggest rivals. They beat us to the 1. Deild title last year and out-performed us this season by finishing second in the Vodafonedeildin. I think they are the team we have to aspire to if we want to progress.

Speaking of progress, we have had our first player called up for international duty as Tummas Hojgaard (YP48) (from this seasonís intake) made his debut for the under 21ís in their 2-0 defeat to Finland. Itís another good sign for the future of the club.

Top Scorer: Jakup Nielsen (YP18) Ė Jakup picked up the mantel from in the injured Eliasen with five goals. Bogi Hermansen also hit five goals, but played more games, so the award goes to Nielsen.Most Assists: Gunnar Nolsoe (YP27) Ė the 18 year old hit helped set-up 10 goals, which was something of a surprise as I had expected little from him this season.Managerís Player of the Year:Bogi Hermansen Ė the veteran of the team is my favourite player in the team. Heís the most consistent and mentally strong player we have.Fanís Player of the Year: Gunnar Nolsoe (YP27) Ė the youngsterís assists helped him become a real hit with the fans.

Iíd picked out Rogvi Tausen (YP1) and last seasonís star man Olavur Johannesen (YP6) as possible key men this season, but both were outperformed by the guys mentioned above. Johannesen was beset by injury problems so his performances were hampered by that, whereas Tausen just never really performed as well as Iíd hoped he would.

Next Season

Iím keen that we avoid second season syndrome, so next year Iíll be looking to avoid relegation (hopefully finishing mid-table again). Weíve shown that we can beat the teams around us, but struggle against the better sides. If we can beat the teams around us then weíll be safe, but Iím not sure weíre quite ready to push on any further than that at this stage.

Achievements Completed

Avoid relegation from Vodafonedeildin Achieved 2013/14

Have a player capped at U21 level for the national team Achieved 2013/14

Again, my goals are the same as last season, but obviously these are the minimum Iíll accept. Iím feeling quite confident that we can achieve a mid-table finish at least. Iíd also like to do well in the cup, but it is in no way a priority at this time.

We continue to lose money every month, only to have it topped up by the board. There was no prize money whatsoever for our league campaign last season and with no rise in season ticket sales (remaining at 28 sold) there is no prospect of a profit this season either.

The squad is still huge. I really wish we had a reserve team, but in the absence of that I have asked the board for a feeder team. Theyíve agreed, so now I just have to hope that they will find one.

Key Players and Ones-to-Watch

Iíve decided to make this one section instead of two, with a little breakdown by position. It should give you a chance to have a better overview of the players in my squad. I wonít do this every season, but Iím conscious that Iíve focussed on a very small group of players so far.

GKTrygvi Askham has been our first choice since I joined the club. He is clearly our best GK on paper, but I am beginning to lose patience with him a little because of his inconsistent performances. It may be time to give Kristian Kristiansen (YP21) a chance, but Iím not sure he is ready.

DefenceSimun Olsen (YP26) has made the right back position his own and is now one of the first names on my teamsheet. On the left Johannes Olsen (YP17) is the man in possession of the shirt, mainly due to the lack of competition in that position.

Attack
We have three main options for the loan forwardís role that we utilise, each with their own merits. Prior to injury, Frits Eliasen (YP2) showed he was capable of scoring at this level, but has regressed due to his time out. Jakup Nielsen (YP18) stepped up to the mark in Eliasenís absence, but never quite achieved as much as Iíd hoped. Last but not least, Sonni Eliasen (YP29) has come on leaps and bounds for over the last twelve months and is now a definite candidate to lead the line.

Iím really pleased with what we have achieved so far. We started our league campaign tremendously and were top of the league after three games. Weíve fallen away slightly since then and have been knocked out of the cup, but we are still sitting comfortably near the top of the table. Weíve certainly put ourselves in a position where we can look upwards rather than down the way and that is great news for the team.

I think a title challenge is a little bit optimistic, but Iíll be disappointed if we donít have a good go at finishing in a European spot. For that weíd need to finish in the top 3 (possibly top 4 if the cup winners also qualify through Europe).

If we are going to accomplish that then we will need to tighten up a bit at the back. Something Iíve tried in order to help our defensive record is a change in goalkeeper, and on 25th October 2014 Kristian Kristiansenís (YP14) appearance in the team meant that for the first time ever our full match day squad was made up of YP players as we were victorious over our rivals AB.

Before we get onto the youth stuff, Iíll give a small update on how weíve been playing since my last post. In a word: terrible! Our record in our last seven games is won one, drawn two, lost five! It leaves us mid-table with a big feeling of what might have been.

Still I donít want to dwell on that, because youth day is supposed to be a happy occasion! In fact, just a few weeks before the big day we received some good news as I managed to persuade the board to invest a little extra in our junior coaching:

It should mean the quality of this intake is better, so when the day came I was excited to see if it had a positive impact.

In short, not really. None of them look any better than the guys we already have. The overwhelming characteristic that they seem to share is a lack of pace. Itís unfortunate because that can make the difference at this level.

Andre Jacobsen (YP49) apparently has the most talent to begin with, but personally I donít see it. My assistant thinks that he has the most potential as well. My own view is that Ken Poulsen (YP59) looks the best of a very average bunch.

The intake brings our squad up to an unmanageable 57 players and with no sign of my feeder team request coming to fruition, a major clearout is on the cards at the end of the season when 35 of them are out of contract.

Yeah safe, but it's still very annoying when you get a taste of what could happen with a bit of consistency.

FC Hoyvik
Post-Season 2014/15

Before I go on to discussing the full season and final table, I need to tell you about the situation going into the last game of the season. Our up-and-down form continued leading up to the final match, but we were left in a situation where we could actually sneak third place and the European spot that would go with it if results were to go our way.

The table looked like this going into the match:

With 3rd playing 1st and 4th playing 2nd, I knew we had a chance if we could just beat our old rivals AB (yes them again). How did we get on? Well have a little look below to find outÖ

We were mightily disappointing as AB played us off the park. Thankfully, a win would only have seen us finish 4th anyway, so I donít quite feel so bad. However, to come so close is hugely frustrating, especially with the boost that European football would give the club.

I think I have to look back on this season positively. Weíve picked up 4 more points than we did last year, so we have improved albeit very slightly. The way we played in the second half of the season is something of a concern (highlighted well by our league position graph), but Iím in this for the long-haul and never expected instant success.

Top Scorer: Sonni Eliasen (YP29) Ė the striker hit 8 goals in 17 matches. Itís unfortunate, but Iím having a real struggle getting him to sign a new deal for next season, so he might be on the way out just as he is starting to make an impact.Most Assists: Bergur Gregersen (YP22) Ė Did well to make 7 goals in his few appearances this season. He could be a key player next season if he can stay fit.Managerís Player of the Year:Alfred Eliasen (YP19) Ė Has shown what a bit of acceleration can add to a team by being one of our few players that can cause teams problems on the break.Fanís Player of the Year: Hanus Nielsen (YP31) Ė a very decent season from the big centreback.

Next Season

Next season is going to be a transitional one. Unfortunately, some key players chose not to renew their contracts with us, so the likes of Bogi Hermansen, Frits Eliasen (YP2) and Olavur Johannesen (YP6) wonít be with us next season. Itís disappointing to see guys that have come through our youth system refuse to even listen to a contract offer, but where one door closes another one opens and it leaves an opportunity for others to have a chance to take us to the next level.

I think we are now at the stage where the only way we will make any real progress is to qualify for Europe. That has to be our aim from now on. Whether it is a realistic goal remains to be seen, especially with such wholesale changes to the squad being made.

Achievements Completed

Have a player capped at U19 level for the national team Achieved 2014/15

As I alluded to in my last update, there has been a big change in personnel of the last month or so. There were really three reasons for this. Firstly, the mammoth size of the squad was having a big negative impact on the clubís finances and the board has cut our wage budget this season. There simply was no longer the opportunity to keep guys around in the hope that they would turn good. That brings me to the second reason; a lot of these guys simply had nothing going for them. And finally, some just didnít want to stay with us so they left.

Our finances are horrible. Our very modest income didnít cover our overheads before, so now that we are part-time, the addition of wages for the players is just an extra debt we have to cover. The board are fairly generous in their investments, but the only way we will ever make a profit is from European football.

The squad is a bit more of a manageable size now, but it is still too large. We have 33 players, which is about ten too many for my liking. The end of the season will probably see more cuts, when 31 of these 33 are out of contract.

Annoyingly, even with a squad of this magnitude, we only have one leftback (the others didnít want to renew their contracts last season, so left). Iím retraining a few of the centrebacks to cover, but they are mostly really slow and ready to be turned inside-out by any tricky wingers they come up against.

Key Players and Ones-to-Watch

In goals, Trygvi Askham is the last man standing when it comes to the original squad members when I took over. He held off the challenge of the youngsters last season and I expect he will do so again this year, despite his dreadful reflexes.

Apart from Askham, the old man of the team is Rogvi Tausen (YP1). At 23 years old, Iíll be looking for him to step up to the plate in the absence of the now departed Bogi Hermansen.

Most of the focus this year will be up front, where two new guys will be looking to make their mark on the team. Last yearís top scorer Sonni Eliasen (YP8) could not agree terms on a new deal so the two Poulsenís Ken Poulsen (YP51) and Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52) are the men Iím looking to score the goals this season. As yet, Iím undecided which will get the nod on the opening day of the season.

We havenít quite had the same explosive start to the season as last year, but Iím pleased with how weíve done. Weíre in just as good a position and, if anything, I think we are playing better than we were this time last year.

I was in two minds about whether to give a small update on the league at this point of the season. At the halfway mark we were three points off the top of the table. Last season we were in a not dissimilar position and fell away. This season, wellÖ actually, I think Iíll you in suspense until the end of the season.

Haha, as if Iíd tease you like that! As you can see, our results have been absolutely amazing:

Unbeaten in twelve matches and now in the cup final. Weíve been immense and whilst weíre not there yet, Iíd be distraught if we threw it away from here.

Anyway, more about that at the end of the season.

This update is all about the youths:

On paper, a mighty fine intake with four players of high ability. A closer look and they donít seem all that great, but one or two are definite first team material.

My assistant rates Bogi Hansen (YP65) as the pick of the bunch. For once, he might be right, but his poor physicals need work before Iíd entrust him with a place in the first team.

My pick for this intake is Runi Joensen (YP66). Unfortunately we donít use MRís so heíll be retrained as an MC where I think he will become one of our best players.

Thanks. I think the difference this season is that I've focused a lot more on sustaining match fitness. I think a lack of that was partly behind my collapse last season. I now have the guys on condition training the entire season

What can I say? An amazing season that massively exceeded my expectations. We didnít start in a particularly outlandish manner, but we never let ourselves fall out of contention. In the second half of the season we just bull-dozed everything that was put in front of us and we steamrolled our way to a league and cup double. Unbelievable stuff.

Iíd always expected that we would be able to dominate domestically, but I didnít expect it this early. Perhaps it will be a one-off though; weíll need to guard against overconfidence next season.

Vodafonedeildin: Challenge for a European spot SurpassedLÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Win it Achieved

Key Players

Top Scorer: Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52) Ė a new star! He hit eleven goals in all competitions and has probably been the real difference this season. Itís great having someone I can rely on up front.Most Assists: Bergur Gregersen (YP22) Ė Gregersen picked up this award last season in a limited number of appearances , but has turned into a key player this time around. His eight assists this season were complimented by the six goals he scored himself.Managerís Player of the Year:Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52) Ė it was really a toss up between the two men above, but Poulsen just steals it by a nose.Fanís Player of the Year: Bergur Gregersen (YP22) Ė as I said, now a key player for me and the fans seem to agree.

Next Season

We have well and truly raised expectations and I now expect us to kick on from here. The very minimum Iíd accept is a top 3 finish in the league (although of course I want to win it again). The domestic cup doesnít matter to me anymore, but the thing Iím really looking forward to is the Champions League campaign.

The board seem excited as well; again agreeing to invest in our youth team. We are still a long way away from a conveyer belt of talent, but if we can make the most of what we have then it is a step in the right direction.

Thanks chaps. I was a little surprised at my success this season, but I won't complain!

FC Hoyvik
Champions League Qualifier 2016/17 Special Update

I think my first foray into Europe deserves its own little update

Just one day into the new season we had the draw for the Champions League Champions First Qualifying Phase. We were one of only four sides to enter the competition at this point, alongside Flora of Estonia, Floriana of Malta and Sant Julia of Andorra. I had no real preference as to who we were drawn against (all three squads were made up of greyed-out players). In the end, it was a trip to Andorra on the cards, with the victors being lined up for a trip to Montenegro to face Rudar.

The thing that worried me most at this stage was the date of the matches against Sant Julia; we had just over a week to prepare and were sure to be lacking match fitness. I was especially concerned that their greyed-out players would be at full match fitness and cause us to struggle in the latter stages of the tie.

In any case, that didnít stop the excitement building as the day of our Euro debut draw near. It seemed that they were the favourites, but I truly had no idea at this point:

When it came to the match, I think I will let the highlights speak for themselves:

My fears of lack of match fitness proved to be unfounded as we dominated the closing stages of the match and added a little shine to the scoreline. I was fairly confident that we would be able to progress after that excellent victory.

And so, onto Rudar. Again, they only had greyed our players, but I knew this time we wouldnít have it so easy. We travelled to Montenegro for the first leg where unfortunately we were comprehensively outplayed. We were 4-0 down at one point, so to get two goals back threw us the tiniest of lifelines for the second leg. At the very least we wanted to prove their cocky fans wrong by putting up a good showing.

A record crowd of 1102 filled a massive 22% of our stadium for the match (I guess there is no need for a new stadium yet!), and we got off to a great start as star man Poulsen (YP52) opened the scoring after 11 minutes. Just one more goal would take us through on away goals and the prospect of a third qualifying round tie against Panathinaikos.

Unfortunately, Rudar found their direction (I knew there was a pun in there somewhere) and scored two goals in quick succession to lead at halftime. At that stage I thought it was over, but we were thrown another lifeline when they had a man sent off on 57 minutes. Shortly after that, we managed to get it back to 2-2 on the night and then won a penalty with ten minutes to go to set up a grandstand finish. Regrettably, Sjurdur Poulsen (YP23) hadnít read the script as he blasted the ball over the bar, and with it our Champions League hope for the season.

It seems that we were rather distracted by our European exploits this season, and our pre-season friendly results have suffered as a result. I hope it wonít have too much of a negative impact over the course of the season.

Board Expectations

Vodafonedeildin: Stay clear of relegation LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second roundFaroese Super Cup: Learn from the experienceUEFA Champions League: Learn from the experience

Same again for the forth year running for the league and cup. The two new competitions donít seem to bother them. Not the most ambitious this board of mine!

My Expectations

Vodafonedeildin: Attain for a European spot LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Not botheredFaroese Super Cup: Win itUEFA Champions League: Learn from the experience

A top 3 finish is my minimum requirement, but ideally weíll make it two-in-a-row. Now that weíve won the cup I donít really care too much for it. I want to win the Super Cup because itís something weíve never played in and of course of Champions League campaign is already becoming a memory.

The end of last season saw the usual batch of free transfers; mostly no hopers, but one or two I would have preferred to stay refused to sign a new contract. That seems to be a particular problem with fullbacks Ė I guess I work them too hard, because we only have one DL and one DR in the squad now. Others are being retrained as we speak.

Otherwise, Iím fairly happy with what we have. We should hopefully be good enough to retain our title.

Key Players and Ones-to-Watch

I am now beginning to see some of my players establish themselves as key to our success. We previously had a lot of guys that were of equal ability, but Iím pleased to say that some are now becoming more noticeable as individuals.

At the back, our club captain Teitur Hentze (YP25) organises the defence to good effect. He is fairly adaptable, so I think he might end up playing at leftback a lot of the time this season.

In the middle of the park it is a very important season for our very first youth player Rogvi Tausen (YP1). He stood out from the crowd when he first came to the club, but he really hasnít improved an awful lot. Indeed his place in the first team is under severe threat from Runi Joensen (YP66) who I am really expecting great things of.

In front of them and leading the line is our real star Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52). Iím really excited to see how many goals he can get this season. He managed 4 goals in 4 games in Europe, so he should be capable of breaking the 20 goal barrier this season.

Poulsen looks like he'll be able to bag himself quite a few goals at this level. Overall, the team is still obviously nowhere near competitive on bigger stages, but atleast there is some signs of improvement

Yeah, I'm pleased to get a decent striker than can take us forward. You're certainly correct that we are no where near the level required for Europe; you'll see from this update that we're not even good enough to dominate domestically yet either

Iím not sure whatís up with the us so far. Weíve had a couple of injuries, but nothing major; we are just very, very inconsistent. We started off really well with a 6-0 win, but then couldnít win in the next four league games. We were then unbeaten in four matches in all competitions before losing the next two. Another run of wins and then we lose again in our last game before this update. Itís very frustrating.

Iím staying positive though. We are six points off the top of the table and just three points off a European spot. We are still in the cup and we got our hands on the Super Cup for the first time in our history. So itís not a disaster, but we definitely need to improve.

I wonít spend too much time giving an update on the season so far. Weíve only lost one game since the last update, but with just four matches remaining the gap to top spot remains at six points so it seems unlike that we will retain our title. We have however reached the cup final again and, because we will play league leaders NSI in that, we have a good chance of getting some more European football next season.

Before all that though, onto this seasonís youth intake:

Iím delighted to say that I think we may have a star in our midst. Tordur Dam (YP81) already looks like one of our best players. Iím really excited about the opportunity of seeing him develop into a club legend. He could be ably assisted by the promising looking Frits Lakjuni (YP88) in the centre of defence

After a fairly poor start, we pulled things together in the second half of the season, but weíd given our rivals too big a headstart. Third place isnít where we want to be, but itís not too bad I guess.

We did manage to retain the cup, and showed NSI that we are capable of beating them with a fine performance in the final. That result put us into Europe for the second season in a row; albeit the Europa League. Perhaps we will have more of a chance of modest success in that one, but the monetary rewards will obviously be lower. We could have done with Champions League football next season, especially after we got this kick in the teeth, which is quite a setback Iím sure youíll agree. We are about £100k in debt, so I canít really argue with the reasoning unfortunately.

Vodafonedeildin: Attain for a European spot AchievedLÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Not bothered SurpassedFaroese Super Cup: Win it AchievedUEFA Champions League: Learn from the experience Achieved

Key Players

Top Scorer: Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52) Ė Poulsen made it two seasons in a row with 17 goals in 23 appearences. Good stuff from the forward and I want him to break the 20 goal barrier next season.Most Assists: Bergur Gregersen (YP22) & Ossur Morkore (YP50) Ė another familiar story as Gregerson gets this award, but this season he has to share it with the up-and-coming Morkore with 12 assists apiece.Managerís Player of the Year:Bergur Gregersen (YP22) Ė he added some goals to his assists and that was enough to snatch the award from Poulsen.Fanís Player of the Year: Bergur Gregersen (YP22) Ė swiftly becoming a fansí favourite.

Next Season

I want us to challenge for the league title again. Itís critical that we get the Champions League windfall, otherwise we are going to stagnate.

The quality of youths is definitely improving and to prove my point in that regard, Iím delighted to say that Tordur Dam (YP81) has just made his full international debut for the Faroe Islands. The flip side of that coin is that the first batch of youths are now at a stage where they are struggling to make and impact and unfortunately, this end is in sight for our first youth player Rogvi Tausen (YP1). He has been a good servant, but now is the time for him to move on.

Achievements Completed

Have a player capped at senior level for the national team Achieved 2016/17

Congratulations on your success - Europe League still means extra cash in teh coffers, albeit not at the level of the Champions League. Tordur Dam is going to be quality for you - the improvement in youth is definitely noticable, but huge investment is till needed if it is to get up to decent levels. Tausen will most likely retire as I dont believe another club will take him, am I correct?

I've had to change to photobucket for this update because of the problems I'm having with imgur, so apologies for the screenshots being slightly lower quality.

FC Hoyvik
Pre-Season 2017/18

Europa League

We entered the Europa League at the second qualifying stage this season where we were drawn against Skonto of Latvia. It’s always difficult to tell, but I thought they looked a little stronger than Rudar (the team that knocked us out of Europe last year).

So, a very short-lived European campaign but promising signs that given a bit more time we should be able to beat teams from bigger countries like Latvia. For our troubles, we were given just short of £80k in prize money and that proved enough to persuade the board to invest some more money in our junior coaching.

Europe distracted us last year and it seemed to inhibit us early on in the season, so I was keen not to fall into that trap again. This time around we were much more focused and the results show that, although we did fall to a defeat in our final friendly match.

Board Expectations

Vodafonedeildin: Safe mid-table position LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Reach the second roundFaroese Super Cup: Learn from the experienceUEFA Europa League: Learn from the experience

The board expectations crept up slightly this season, but still nothing too onerous.

My Expectations

Vodafonedeildin: Win it LÝgmanssteypiū (the cup): Not botheredFaroese Super Cup: Not botheredUEFA Europa League: Learn from the experience

I think we need to aim to be in the Champions League every season now and to do that we need to win the league. I’m sure we are capable so long as we can display some consistency.

I’m reasonably happy with the squad as it is, but I feel a bit as though I’m on the edge of a precipice. Every season we seem to have problems with a few players refusing to enter contract negotiations. We have a large number of players out of contract in 12 months time and many of them are in that category so there may be some rebuilding required.

Key Players and Ones-to-Watch

I think we only have three stand-out players now:

Tordur Dam (YP81) is clearly our most talented player. This will be his first full season and I’m hoping he can help steady a slightly ropey defence.

Bergur Gregersen (YP22) has proven himself to be our most creative force. Unfortunately, his contract expires at the end of the season and it looks unlikely that I will be able to persuade him to stay.

Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52) is our goalscorer and the man that our hopes rest on. He was a bit disappointing in Europe this season, but I’m hoping that was just a blip and the goals will flow against lesser opposition.

It seems that the title is either going to go to us or NSI. They are obliterating everything in front of them and itís only because we beat them two games ago that we sit at the top of the table. If we slip up at all, Iím certain they will overtake us. I just hope that we can keep up our level of performance.

Individually, weíve had some impressive performances from the likes of Hallur Petersen(YP82), who has shone in an OMC position despite him not being a natural there. Itís been quite the opposite for Jakup Martin Poulsen (YP52); he has really struggled to hit the back of the net as much as Iíd hoped.

Youth candidate day always arrives with just four matches left in the league season and this year is no different. Weíd been doing well at the halfway point and since then weíve continued our great form. As it stands, we are four points clear of our nearest rivals, NSI. However, the title is far from wrapped up; our last three games are against the teams currently 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Also, weíve reached the cup final yet again, despite playing backup players in that competition.

Now, onto this seasonís youth intake:

Our recent investment in junior coaching is really starting to pay off. The majority of players are poor, but each intake seems to bring with it one or two gems. This seasonís standout players are Bjarki Djuhuus (YP97) and Kaj Hentze (YP98). Both look like excellent players already and will only improve in the future.

Onto more disturbing news now though. Iíve just received the news that we are subject of a takeover bid and they quite fancy bringing in a new manager if successful. I am still on an amateur deal so would be easy to get rid of, so the news is quite worrying.

That explains why when I tried to quote you, it only got the second half. Anyway, I've just thought of how hilarious it would be if, like in the thread title, someone was expecting going to Egypt then finding themselves in the Faeroes.